What is Enterprise Architecture and Guide-through Process

What is Enterprise Architecture?

Enterprise Architecture is a means to transform fragmented applications and processes (both manual and automated) into an integrated environment, which result in optimized processes that can respond to change and the accomplishment of business strategies. Unmanaged complexity in IT landscape leads to greater cost and less flexibility. Typical issues include lack of standards, redundant applications, multiple platforms, and inconsistent data. All these hinder an organization's ability to respond to business and economic changing environment.

TOGAF Framework

TOGAF^® is a framework for Enterprise Architecture. It defines the Architecture Development Method (ADM) and supporting tools to address complexities, so that organizations can define the way to operate their businesses and design the processes and infrastructure critical to their current and future operations (enterprise architecture), which guides the evolution of their foundation for execution.

The ADM cycle describes an incremental and iterative method for designing Business, Data, Applications, and Technology architectures. It progresses from high-level concept diagrams, to detailed domain architectures, all the way to the development of solution architectures, architecture roadmaps and implementation plans.

ArchiMate vs TOGAF ADM

TOGAF describes the process of developing and managing an enterprise architecture, but it doesn't contain a defined modeling language structure. The TOGAF framework and the ArchiMate 3 modeling language is a powerful combination. ArchiMate 3 is meant to be complimentary to the TOGAF content framework and architecture development process. It can be used to describe all aspects of the EA in a coherent way. Deliverables in the architecture process are more effective when based on an approach that combines formal models with powerful visualization capabilities.

Why TOGAF Guide-through Process?

Although businesses are aware of the advantages of an EA practice, it has never been an easy task to build an Enterprise Architecture. A problem many organizations face is inability to identify the place to start, and how to get started. The immaturity of Enterprise Architecture results in gaps and hurdles in the early stages that can stop businesses progressing further with the scheme. In 2007, Gartner found that 40% of Enterprise Architecture initiatives would be stopped and a later survey in 2015 indicates that 70% of businesses were looking to either start, or restart an Enterprise Architecture program.

Visual Paradigm's TOGAF Guide-through Process is an Enterprise Architecture tool that helps your team overcome the teething problems in enterprise architecture.

Tooling

If you Google around for Enterprise Architecture tooling you will probably uncovered two alternatives: Established EA tools with very high price tag, yet they only provide a tree-like structure of repository that contains a set of templates you to edit yourselves. The second alternative would be some drawing tools, such as Visio that requires excessive management and juggling of information between multiple applications.

The benefits of the Guide-through Process Approach

Structure TOGAF ADM into phases, activities and steps, and embedded with instructions, samples and input references
Progress Indicator that shows you where you are and the status of completion for phases, activities and steps
Perform analysis, diagramming and work incrementally and generate deliverable and report automatically
Automatically transcribe data from one step to another for further actions or perform different forms of analysis
Carry forward of deliverable as input reference from one step to another
Assign activity or deliverables as task for different members with time schedule and role to the task manager automatically
Seamlessly integrate EA, Project Management process with Agile software development process and toolset

Visual Paradigm Guide-through Process at a Glance

The TOGAF ADM Process Navigator. It covers the nine ADM phases. Double click on a phase to start working on it.
Activities of an ADM phase. Each phase contains a set of activities required to perform in order to produce the corresponding deliverables.
Performing an activity. This example shows the use of ArchiMate 3 in representing the organization units being impacted by the architecture initiative.
Automatic transformation of data. In this example, the impacted units are extracted from the ArchiMate 3 diagram. You can then fill-in the description of impact in a table.
All activities contains clear instruction. Even with you are not familiar with TOGAF, you can still perform the activities required.
Besides instructions, you can also get help by reading the samples we provided. Learning is not needed!
We provide a wide range of Enterprise Architecture tools to support your EA needs. Maturity Analysis is one of them.
Generate TOGAF ADM deliverable once your've completed the activities.
Another sample use of ArchiMate 3. Besides modeling architecture, you can also draw an ArchiMate 3 diagram to represent a governance structure.
Besides drawing diagrams, some activities require you to fill-in forms in order to produce deliverable. 'Request for Architecture Work' is one of the examples.
Gap Analysis with ArchiMate 3. Look at the bottom right. It's a color legend that enables you to effective apply color code to elements in diagram.
A typical use of ArchiMate 3 Diagram in Enterprise Architecture is for developing the architecture model. Here is a Baseline Business Architecture Model.
The development of Target Technology Architecture Model is an activity of TOGAF ADM Phase D: Technology Architecture.
Draw a Work Breakdown Structure to represent the structuring of work as well as to derive and obtain a list of work packages.
The Architecture Roadmap involves visualizing transition architectures as plateau and the association of work packages with gaps.
Transition Timeline shows the time frame of architecture activities. It also allows you to indicate the investment points and major milestones.
Architecture Repository is where deliverables being archived. While deliverables are automatically archived, you can also put a file into a drawer (in the Architecture Repository) manually.